If you're interested in the electric utility industry, the ERCOT dashboard will be a fun watch into 3pm. Watching generation sort of bounce off the demand line and see just how much the grid can take today. It's a hot one with demand running high due to air con amongst some other pieces that pull higher in hot weather.

Wind power is tanking as it usually does this time of day but if anywhere around those turbines picks up some rain, the wind supply should help out.

I'll be watching it all weekend as well.

Tomorrow could be interesting… everyone at home on the weekend and a high temp of 105F predicted.

Would have been nice to have had the power produced from the hydroelectric plant up on Lake Possum Kingdom before a dirty land deal turned it off.

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Gibbons creek would be a good one to have kept

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Yeah, I never understood the decision to shut that down. And, all those major transmission lines - just running to nowhere now?

Not that this can be predicted but I heard someone say the back half of summer is supposed to be cooler than first half because of El Niño?

No idea if that is true at all.

Maybe watch Monday

I fully encourage everyone to go out tomorrow and stand in front of a windmill. It won't actually cool you off, just like if you were still in the house.

Spoony Love said:

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Me too, but one additional nuclear generator done right would solve several grid problems and supply for future growth.

Gibbons creek would be a good one to have kept

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PRB coal burned at gibbons was not cheap, I don't think it was economically viable even with todays $6+ dollar natural gas

Several plants here in Texas bring in PRB coal to burn. NRG in Jewett, NRG in Thompsons, and Sandy Creek in Riesel I know for sure do. I believe there are a few more as well.

Two of those are 30+ years newer than gibbons, not exactly apples to apples.

SteveBott said:

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Texas gets about 20% of its energy from coal. We get about 50% from natural gas.

Coal is a dying industry no matter what. Focus on NG instead. Texas has all we want and….not political….is cleaner.

And I really doubt ERCOT expects much help from wind and it's not factored a lot in capacity. And solar can make up the wind right now.

We need more capacity. More NG and in a perfect world more nuclear

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Correct, wind is just a feel good fair weather power source. Doesn't produce much when actually needed

Diggity said:

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weekends are usually lighter on the grid because many commercial businesses are closed.

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Makes sense, but for whatever reason they are showing demand slightly exceeding capacity today.

The supply peace is a function of the demand. The grid can produce well over 80 MW when needed it s just costly.

If that forecasted demand was over 80 then maybe it's worth watching. But for now, it should be all good.

ERCOT will claim the grid is capable of 95+ GW, but that's only if the wind and solar are at 100%. As everyone can see wind is the determining factor in the afternoon. Usually in the summer the afternoon wind sucks

Wind has reached its bottom. Will be headed up soon. Thankfully another nothingburger today

BattleGrackle said:

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Wind has reached its bottom. Will be headed up soon. Thankfully another nothingburger today

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not a nothingburger if you don't like paying over $1/KWH

Spoony Love said:

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The supply peace is a function of the demand. The grid can produce well over 80 MW when needed it s just costly.

If that forecasted demand was over 80 then maybe it's worth watching. But for now, it should be all good.

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80,000 MW. The charts are in MW.

YouBet said:

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Complete Idiot said:

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Maybe watch Monday

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I love those tease ass rain percentages. Complete fake news. Negative percentages are more accurate.

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I was right there with you, same thoughts, but there is magic in the air

Dp

Yes, you are correct, just thought that was understood. In case anyone isn't aware, the chart is in thousands, thus meaning we can produce more than 80,000 MW.

Complete Idiot said:

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YouBet said:

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Complete Idiot said:

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Maybe watch Monday

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I love those tease ass rain percentages. Complete fake news. Negative percentages are more accurate.

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I was right there with you, same thoughts, but there is magic in the air

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Lucky. I'm in Dallas.

The beginning of this week should be interesting. Most people are done with vacation at this point which means they are home and working. AC for everybody. I haven't been privy to statewide forecasts but renewables could really help out this week.

But we will see some testing of the grid on Monday I think. I bet we peak over 80,000 MW (is that better)